Haninozuka Revolution
by Thatzly
Summary: The Haninozuka Empire has gone too far. They've gone to drastic measures to lure their people into obedience. It's time to take back their rights. Five rebel teens have taken a vow to restore their country, even if that means risking their own lives. AU.
1. Chapter 1

**Does not owning of Duh Ouran. Does owning of duh** **fic** **(I'm running out of these. Darn.)**

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><p>It was strange how things got this way. One day things were normal, and the next you were struggling just to stay safe from the government that's supposed to be protecting you. When did things get so bad? Was it when the previous leader passed? Yes, it when they came and decided they were fit to succeed the previous ruler. From then on things spiraled downward into chaos.<p>

People stole and murdered, yet no one did anything. The 'police' stood by and watched with smiles on their faces as if it were a pay-per-view show. Which commoner could kill the other first? Which would they shoot for 'training' purposes?

The new dictator didn't care, he was just a figurehead.

Hikaru sat, tapping his fingers against a cardboard 'table' in a building long ago abandoned, waiting in its basement. Never could they live in the actual house itself, it posed too much of a risk. At least down here there was only one door to watch people come down the stairs and an escape tunnel hidden from sight. It was so boring down there alone though. He only had the clock and walls to entertain him.

They'd told him they would meet him. He muttered under his breath, "2 o'clock, no sooner, no later." It was after two and he was still sitting by himself, watching the paint peel off the walls. At least it was better than watching it dry, with that you never knew if it were done or not. With peeling though he could track the progress.

He shook his head with a sigh. Now he was making wall peeling into a game, pathetic. His fingers tapped faster until they reached a frenzied rhythm.

"We're back," Kaoru sang. The door slammed shut behind him and quick footsteps bound toward the bored twin until a body collided with his. The younger brother crushed Hikaru with a hug when he stood.

"I was starting to get worried you weren't going to make it," Hikaru mumbled into the cloth now suffocating him.

Kaoru shook his head, a smile on his identical face. "I would never leave you here, Hikaru. I made sure to pull this slow ass faster when I noticed the time." He pointed behind him to Kyouya. "He kept stopping to loot through every dead commoner's pockets. Typical right?"

"I was merely gather more supplies for our team." Kyouya pushed his cracked glasses higher onto his face. With a flick of his wrist a pack of bullets and a gun were tossed to land in Hikaru's clumsy hands.

The twin moved with lightning speed. He filled the gun, old cartridge out, new one in, cock the gun and...everything screeched to a stop.

"I think it jammed…" Hikaru sheepishly announced. Kaoru rolled his eyes and placed a soothing hand on his brother's before he snatched the gun away. It took a humiliating few seconds for him to do what his older brother couldn't. "Oh…is that how I was supposed to do it?"

Stern hazel eyes turned on him. "Hikaru, if we're going to do this you have to be faster. You can't keep jamming your gun when—"

"I know, I know. I'll do better next time, promise." He threw Kaoru a prize-winning smile. Kaoru opened his mouth but was cut off by the other forgotten member in the room.

"We don't have time for this," He spook up, his finger nudged his glasses higher on his nose once more, this time fixing it's crooked state as well. We both nodded and followed him out the door, into a world of chaos.

"I wish I didn't exist. Fuck that woman, couldn't she have died _before_ she gave birth to me," A man grumbled to the side of the trio. His back was to them, looking through a garbage can.

The three teenagers stumbled through the streets, climbing over scattered bikes, scrap metal, and people that had been killed in the street or injured in the latest riot.

"Things are only getting worse. It's like we're not even doing anything." Hikaru's eyes drift over every abandoned building that now took up squatters who hadn't had time or money to flee the country. Children ran about in torn, dirt stained clothes. They looked no worse than them.

Kyouya's coat barely fit him anymore, they would have to steal one from a fallen commoner, and his glasses were skewed on his face from their last run in with the police. Kaoru's shoes flopped on his feet, its sole torn so badly it was unrepairable until they could come across duct tape, and pants had to be made into shorts after a bad tear. As for Hikaru, his hair was matted down with sweat and dirt from their inability to find water to clean themselves. He didn't even have a shirt of his own, he was borrowing Kaoru's until they found another.

Kaoru read his twin's thoughts. "Don't worry, we'll restore the balance. I can't stand to watch everyone suffer like this."

Kyouya nodded. "Of course, but it won't be easy. The Haninozuka Empire is heavily guarded and—"

"We'll be fine," Hikaru cut in, waving off the older boy's warning. He always had to be the one to put a damper on things. Of course they knew how dangerous overthrowing Haninozuka would be, but talking about it like that made the reality sink in a little too much. That was probably the point, but he made it all too well.

"Right." Kaoru smiled, and squeezed his other half's hand gently in his own. It was a comforting habit from when they were younger come to the surface. "Once we meet up with Haruhi and Tamaki we'll have our full group. Then, we should be prepared to take on anything." Hikaru smiled back, and squeezed Kaoru's hand before letting go.

"If you continue to think that we're invincible we may run into troubles in the future," Kyouya said, once more trying to talk sense into their thick heads. He did a full circle, looking out onto the empty streets before ducking down into a narrow alley. The two brothers quickly followed. Dark, glasses-clad eyes turned back to glare at Hikaru. "We're late. I wouldn't be surprised if the next attempt has already begun."

He put up his hands in defense. "It wasn't my fault! Kaoru must have done something to anger the police. They were chasing me for no reason at all. I had to hide."

Kaoru laughed guilty beside them, rubbing the back of his neck. "Ah…yeah I may have accidentally thrown a full vodka bottle at a Haninozuka's officers head."

"That doesn't matter now," Kyouya spat. "We need to concentrate on our destination."

They turned down yet another alley. The think smoke could be smelled before it could be seen. Their hearts began to pound with adrenaline induced excitement. The shouts of indignation push our legs faster. A man ran past, torch in hand, followed by kids close to their age and another who looked too young to be joining in.

The attack began.

A bullet zipped past Kyouya's head, once the three emerged from the alleyway and into a much healthier, less broken street. Luckily no one seemed to notice them. Rage had made them blind to anyone but the Haninozuka army.

Hikaru chuckled at a crazed man trying to set fire to one of Haninozuka's large tanks, rolling like a metal slug in the street. The fire didn't seem to be catching, and the man soon gave up to climb and jump on it instead.

"There," Kyouya pointed. Standing with a torch in hand was Tamaki and beside him a short brunette. Her back was to them but the blonde's eyes soon lit up, and his excited shouts were enough to alert the whole town of the rebels presence.

"Kyouya, Hikaru, Kaoru! Over here!" He waved enthusiastically, bouncing. The small female beside him ducked for cover as the torch in his hand waved dangerously near her head.

Kyouya sneered and bound up to the idiot, snatching his torch away. He scolded, "Tamaki, what have I told you about doing that." The blonde recoiled slightly. "We need to keep a low profile. Your idiotic antics will get us captured or killed."

"We have been," The brunette spoke up, dark brown eyes turning up at them. "We wore masks until now. The crowd we rallied today only knows our voices."

"It's getting harder to get them pumped like this, Kyouya," Tamaki cut in. "Haruhi and I had a hard time trying to persuade them not to give in to the Empire."

"That's fine. As long as we've made our point, we can take over from here." The dark haired leader threw the torch in hand at the nearest pristine building.

What started as a trickle of flames soon turned into a full-blown fire hazard. More gunfire rang out, this time screams of fear were heard. All heads snapped toward the source. The officers had been called in. People scrambled for shelter, not all making it. Several were shot dead where they stood.

Hikaru grabbed Kaoru's arm to flee but he broke free, and in an instant he was in the street, pulling a small boy to his feet. The officers closed in around them, firing close enough to cause them to flinch but not enough to hit. It was a game they often played with their victims before finally finishing them off.

"Hey!" The men turned onto Hikaru's pale, trembling form. Angered scowls formed on their faces and they took up chase after the twin. He had to duck from several bullets before finally taking cover behind an overturned car. Never before had he been so terrified. They were shooting at him. Shooting to kill, not injure. He could die. The trembling in his body escalated to a level that looked as if he were having a mild seizure.

They knew where he was, no running. Hikaru poked his head out slowly, and nearly got a bullet embedded into his skull, but I had seen what he needed. Kaoru had successfully pushed the boy safely inside an alleyway to run. Taking a deep breath, the auburn haired boy prepared himself to flee.

One. Two. And he was gone, dodging a torrent of bullets as he made his way towards Kaoru. He was already running, but it wasn't hard to catch up to his slower half and pull him along. An open sewer drain became the closest thing to shelter they could find. Jumping in they gasped in an attempt to catch their breaths.

Kaoru's timid voice broke all thoughts of trying to escape from yet another failed mission. "H-Hikaru, I wasn't fast enough..."

Hikaru's eyes widened and Kaoru gingerly was pulled into a small lighted area to be scanned. Kaoru was holding his right arm in a pained grip, and his hands were covered in a crimson liquid. "You'll be fine," but his voice betrayed him with a squeaky crack.

"I know. It's just my arm." But he was still losing a lot of blood.

"You'll be fine, Kaoru." Hikaru repeated. His hands shook as he find something to try to stop the flow. A tear in Kaoru's shirt proves to be the only nudge of encouragement he needed and, with great force, part of his shirt was torn further. Quickly he tied the strand around Kaoru's arm, pulling tight to gain a strangled cry. "That should do for now, but still…" Hikaru's voice trailed off.

They were stuck there until nightfall, only then would it be safe to move around. After all, they had seen their faces this time. The officials knew who was in charge of riling up the citizens into a frenzy.

"I'm sorry for making you worry, Hikaru. I'll be fine, really."

"You're not fine. It's an open wound and we're in a sewer." Kaoru's face twist into one of a shamed puppy and was dropped to face the murky water they stood in. "If the virus gets you..." The eldest twin paced while pinching the bridge of his nose in frustration. "And you were touching that kid. We don't know if he has it, you know how little kids are. Germs attract to those dirty little imps. Jesus, Kaoru! You're such a-"

"I said I was sorry." The younger brother sounded almost as if he were going to break down into tears.

"And what if they were carrying smoke bombs with the virus in it. You were so close to them and that fucking tank." A little too loudly Hikaru screamed, "They're trying to infect us, Kaoru! Do you really think they would hesitate to take you _and_ that kid out? Kids are their main target, they cough without covering their mouths, they touch _everything_. It's an easy way for them to get it to spread."

"You're a coward."

"What?"

"Hikaru, you're a coward." Kaoru's sharp gaze tore into his twin. "Once you're able to save someone you'll understand how good it feels. I wasn't going to let him die just because I value my life more, if I deserve the chance to live than so does he. I'm not going to sit by and hide like you always do."

Hikaru stood, stunned in his spot and unable to follow his wounded twin down the length of the sewer.

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><p><em>WOOOO! Another AU fic! I'm really excited about this one! Not about it being another damn chapter fic...but it's plot. It gets really good later on trust me, I've already written my favorite bits. <em>_;D __But, this chapter IS pretty boring. It's mostly a setup chappie for the environment and personalities of the hosts. Anyway, this is only a snippet of the full plot. I want to know if I should continue it or not. If I don't get enough feedback I won't bother with it. _

_Just a note: It sucks to get favs and not reviews...I'm not one of _those_ writers that says 'this many reviews for fic' but I do want some kind of idea to if it's being enjoyed/encouragement to continue. It's a bit disheartening. The people who reviewed my other's thanks~ It means a lot. Always. _

_Anyway, this thing has been in the archive for a LOOOONG time. It was from like high school and written poorly. Twas revamped for postings._

_As always, drop me a line via PM or review! Love hearing from you guys. Makes me all warm and fuzzy~ Butt cone's for all. Well I would give butt cone hearts but it won't let me make the sign.  
><em>


	2. Chapter 2

**Video killed the radio star. **

**In other news, this is my fic but Bisco gave birth to Ouran. **

**(Literally. They still haven't found the baby daddy.)**

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><p>"Are you two fighting?" Haruhi's brow raised as she looked on at the two boys who were currently engaged in a rather intense staring contest. Their gazes were piercing, and only softened slightly when they turned to the team that sat scattered around them. All the other team members seemed to have been watching the escalating tension between the brothers, they'd gone from relaxing with a book or a card game to focusing in on yet another show.<p>

Ever since the sewer incident the twins had been going back and forth over the most _ridiculous_ things. Today the spat was over who would part their hair to the right. Apparently it was their day to switch side's but Kaoru wanted nothing of it. He didn't want to look like, 'a selfish coward.'

This was just one of the events the tired team had gone through the entire week, but there were so many others...

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><p><em>The youngest twin stood in his boxers next to his brother, staring at an unlabeled pair of pants. His fingers curled to clench into tight fists. "These are MY pants Hikaru. There's a tear on the right leg from when I fell."<em>

_Hikaru shook his head. "No! These are MINE. The tear came from when I jumped the fence!"_

_"I'm trying to sleep. If you two insist on squabbling over a pair of pants-" They ran before the Demon Lord could rise from his cot._

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_"Here, Hikaru."_

_Hikaru took the small pistol his brother forced into his hand and stared at it. His eyes squint at it in confusion and then the gift was thrown to fly past Kaoru's head."Why am I getting a BB gun?"_

_"It's not like you'll shoot it anyway." Kaoru shrugged, his lips twitching to form an impish grin. "Here's a toy so you can at least pretend to be a part of our team, instead of someone who takes our rations without doing any work."_

_"What the hell did you say!"_

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_"Hikaru! If you're just going to stand there like you're about to piss your pants, go home." Kaoru glared back at his twin who shook, frozen with fear. "Kyouya and I can take care of this on our own, like always."_

_"Don't fucking tell me what to do," Hikaru snapped._

_"Alright, Mr. Piss Pants."_

_"I'm not going to piss myself."_

_Kaoru sent him a snide smile, "Not this time anyway."_

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><p>"No! We're not!" They screamed in perfect unison. Perfect unison to the outsiders, but the identical brothers heard their mistake. They'd been off, only by a few seconds, but it was still off. Their scowls melted into a surprised gape at each other, and then to a neutral, thin lipped realization.<p>

So, this was what fighting was like.

Hikaru was the first to break away from the silence he and his now mute brother had inflicted on the room. His heavy, hurried footsteps echoed as he disappeared up the staircase and out into the night. Tamaki was the one who followed after him, he was the one who took up the task of being a worried brother, since it seemed Kaoru wouldn't. The young boy sat, staring up the stairwell.

"It's past curfew," Kaoru started slowly. Each muscle in his body slowly tightened and his heart sped to beat hard in his chest. His sucked in a deep breath. This time his voice was less than calm, it came out as a strained whine. "It's way past curfew and they're both out there, but I shouldn't care, right? Maybe the coward will learn to fight for himself so the HaniSucks won't kill him."

Haruhi snorted with amusement at the twin's nickname for the Haninozuka army. Quickly, she regained her composure and covered up her slip with an over the top clearing of her throat. Although her legs were short she made it over to the torn brother within a moment to rest a light hand on his back. "Kaoru, Tamaki's going to bring him back. He won't get hurt. You know he wouldn't let that happen."

"But, you were right to call him a coward." Kyouya stood and snapped his book with such force a puff of dust clouded out of it. "He does nothing for this team. I don't care about the trivial things that happened before you joined. His focus should be solely on our goal."

Kaoru's spine straightened as his body grew uncomfortably taut. He didn't even have to speak up for Hikaru, Haruhi beat him to it. "That's not fair. He needs time. You weren't nearly as harsh on Kaoru."

"Kaoru," the dark haired boy droned, his eyes locking with the new subject of their conversation. "...Is more mature. We gave him time and he's improved drastically. Hikaru is stuck where he is and that's only dragging us down."

"Our experiences were different." He'd finally found his voice, it was quieter than normal, but the auburn haired teen made sure his words were heard. Standing, Kaoru drew himself up as tall as he could and stepped close to his leader. It was as if they were animals in a pack and he was fighting for the role of alpha male, but his attempt at intimidation did nothing to break Kyouya's nonchalant demeanor. The older male looked down at him with boredom.

The verbal shove back down into his sub-par position was just as hurtful as the sting of being maced.

"He is dead weight. You've made it very clear to all of us that he's abusing the resources we provide for work he doesn't do. We all have our own personal experiences to overcome, but he's taking too long. Perhaps it would be better if he were cut from the team."

Both Haruhi and Kaoru became slack-jawed. In an instant Kaoru drew back, giving in to defeat. "You can't do that. Where would we go?"

"Oh? Would you be leaving as well? Why would you want to be out in the cold?" Kaoru's frustrated groan made it clear he didn't like where Kyouya was beginning to go. "You're doing your job. You're more than welcome to stay." Before the twin could go into full tantrum mode of stomping and shouting like a bratty child, he cut him off. "Are you not happy? It's your complaint that I'm acting on."

"Kyouya, you know that's not what he meant." Haruhi tugged at the older boy's sleeve.

Kyouya smirked and threw his hands in the air in defeat, if one could call it that. He clearly had won the battle by a landslide. "You're right. I should stop taking our safety so seriously." With a wave, he retreated to his room, but not before adding, "Haruhi, we're almost out of food. It would be best if someone went to go search tomorrow."

Kaoru clicked his teeth together and whirled around to yank the storage cabinet door open with more strength than needed. The door slammed back to hit the wall. He paid no mind to it, his attention was stolen by the nearly stuffed food cabinet.

He clicked his teeth, "Asshole."

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><p>He'd picked up a rock, a large one from the rubble of a bombed building. It was heavy in his hands as he bounced it steadily in the air. It had to be a while since he'd felt this strung up over something. His inner core ached with an energy that was in the mood for doing something far from good.<p>

_'He says I don't fight? I'll fucking fight.'_ Winding up his arm, Hikaru took on a baseball-esque stance before letting the rock dart to break the window of an already crumbling, store. His laughter rang through the empty night streets. Hikaru bent down for another item to throw, this time a piece of scrap metal. Like the rock, he let it fly. This time it sped to just barely skim a bent stop sign. A slow, dangerous smirk creeped onto his darkened face.

A target.

One by one objects were hurled toward the inanimate object. But, was it inanimate? To Hikaru it summed up every person who'd betrayed him, picked on him, lied to him, and now Kaoru was on the list.

Of all people, why was it Kaoru that pointed out his blatant shortcomings? He was the last person...the last he expected that from. What the hell had he done to deserve such hatred from the person he'd always been so close to? Maybe Kaoru was just trying to push him out of the way so he and Kyouya could elope. Those two could lock themselves in their mock library for hours discussing things. He wouldn't be surprised if Kaoru was taking it up the ass instead. _'Fucking queer.'_

The next stone in line to be tossed was instantly dropped so he could slap trembling hands over his mouth, as if the disgusting words had left his lips. _'I don't mean it. I'm pissed off. Of course I'm going to say shitty things. I swear I didn't mean it.'_ The words replayed in his mind no matter what, less depressing, topic he changed over to.

"Okay brain," Hikaru groaned, cupping his hands and hiding his face in their palms. "I know. I get that you want me to feel bad. You win. Shut up."

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><p><em>You mean you really don't care?" Kaoru's eyes widened and he nearly stumbled over his feet trying to rebalance the boxes he was carrying.<em>

_"Pfft, way to go." The younger twin stuck his tongue out childishly. Hikaru paused and, leaning toward his brother for a moment, smiled wide. "Hey, look at that. Your tongue would be great for giving a guy a blow job."_

_This time the boxes in Kaoru's arms really did fall. "T-That's-Don't make fun of me, Hikaru! I told you because I want you to know first."_

_Hikaru drew in a long breath and then released it in a sigh. Setting the boxes in his own hands down, he kneeled beside his somber brother to ruffle his messy hair. Kaoru brightened and leaned into the touch. "I don't care. I'm being honest. I love you no matter who's sticking their dick up your ass."_

_"Hikaru!" Kaoru squeaked, his face reddening._

_"As long as the Kaoru I know doesn't go away, I'll love every part of you." He couldn't help but snort and add in, "Even if you and your boyfriend have weird, ass sex babies."_

_Kaoru laughed, "That's not even possible!"_

_Hikaru shrugged, "Whatever, you never know. Maybe you've got a super fertile ass."_

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><p>With a roar, Hikaru tossed a shoe at a hanging sign. He hadn't expected it to make such a loud ring, nor was he expecting voices during curfew. His eyes widened. Curfew.<p>

"I knew it! All that noise was coming from down here the entire time!"

Shit.

Hikaru ran as fast as his legs could take him, weaving and jumping through and over fallen objects to try to confuse them of his path. Now was the time to piss his pants. No weapons. No form of communication. Worse, he's the only one dumb enough to be out in the open streets during curfew. Easy target.

His feet led him to a fire escape ladder. If he pulled it down just enough he could climb and lose them in the building connecting to it. Hikaru jumped, but the metal rung was just out of his reach. A terrified whine slipped out and then hard sobs when he heard the heavy boots close in on him. The alleyway wasn't a good idea. At least he would know this for next time, if he even lived long enough to show he'd learned from his mistake.

His frantic jumping and arm waving slowed. A blonde puff of hair, popped up to reveal Tamaki staring down at him from a window. He had a finger held in front of his mouth. Hikaru sighed in relief. He was saved, but not for long if Tamaki didn't hurry and pull him up. Tamaki's mouthed words were not what he wanted to see.

_'Go with them.'_

Hikaru blinked and watched Tamaki's lips carefully.

_'Go with them.'_

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><p><strong><em>Okay, so you guys get two tester chapters. I'm not going any further (FOR REALZ THIS TIME) unless I get some feedback. Doesn't have to be in depth, just to let me know if this fic is worth continuing or not.<br>_**

_New fic, testing out ideas. If this idea is a bust I can just go test out more. Honestly though, it's a bit discouraging to get a bunch of favs and alerts but then no actual feedback. Those are my honest thoughts. Not being a jerk. Just sayin'. _

_I'm not going to put a number limit. I'm not like that. I just want to know your thoughts. It's no fun writing to a wall, right? _

**_First thing I learned in theatre for requirements for a play to be a performance: _**

**_A performance isn't a performance if there's no audience to entertain. _**

**_Second: An actor becomes more lively/encouraged when the audience responds, but the performance grows weak and struggled when the audience is dead/unresponsive._**

_**It's the same thing for writers. Thanks to those who do review. It's always been a major pushing factor for me to write. Love ya~**  
><em>

_As always...I forgot my normal line. Wow. Take Two. As always drop me a line via reviews or PM. I love hearing from you guys~_

_**On a side note: Sorry if this chapter seems rushed or out of place at times. I'm writing this while having a bit of a stressful period so it may just run together as a badly written blur. Ah! This rating will also be bumped soon probably. I just noticed that because of the environment/living conditions they are in their language is a bit...less host like. Their personalities have also morphed to adapt to how inhumane people have become out of anger and desperation. I apologize.**  
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	3. Chapter 3

**"His hair was pants****." (A typo from the last chapter. Best of my mistakes ever.)**

**I don't own ouran. This fic is mine.**

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><p>His brother hates him. Cool. His friend left him to die. Sweet. The HaniSucks were going to kill him in less than 42 hours. Eh...he'd been through worse.<p>

Actually, he was having a panic attack in a cell with about twenty other rouges who got in the Haninozuka's way. Strangely enough, none of them seemed to be sympathetic for him. In fact, they'd gagged him with a sock and then tied his pants around his head to ensure he wouldn't spit it out. They'd done the same with his hands after tugging them behind his back.

"You done your bawlin' yet?" A gruff male asked. He knelt beside the separated twin and concentrated on his tear streaked face. When Hikaru nodded all too enthusiastically he stood and walked away, granting a long whine from the boy. "Oh, shut up."

Another voice piped up, "And if you even think about moving out of that damn corner, you'll really get something to cry about."

Finally Hikaru gave up and flopped down to lay on his side. They were treating him worse than the damn soldiers. He'd only cried for about two hours, but apparently that was enough to send the prisoners around him into a frenzy. He didn't even get the chance to fight back. They'd all pounced on him at once, purposefully circling him so that he would be too confused to make the first move.

If only this were Middle school, he won every fight back then. He had to for Kaoru's sake, but now it'd been turned around. Kaoru was the one protecting him, except now. He was alone in a purposefully dark cell (He could tell by the light fixtures on the walls, every light bulb had been removed). It was probably to make the statement of: _You're going to die soon so we're going to help you along in your depression. Do you mind? No? Cool, because you have no say anyway._

The bound boy groaned. He couldn't die here. There had to be some way out of this.

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><p>"We should have waited until Tamaki and Kyouya woke up," Haruhi sighed. She crossed her arms across her chest and stared at the barrier that separated the slums from the Haninozuka followers.<p>

She could see just enough from where they were to gaze over the thick sheet of iron that made up the gate. Her stomach churned with fear. Just in case a rebel civilian dared to cross the gate unauthorized, several fleets of tanks patrolled the edges and, from the low growls and the occasional barks, she could guess that there were watch dogs as well. They were going to die, for a noble cause, but they were still going to die.

Kaoru lead them down winding stairs, and away from the rooftop that they had perched on to scope out the forbidden territory. "The more people, the more likely we'd get caught." He squint at a sign they were nearing as they got to the barrier. It took him a moment of staring at it before he finally spoke, "Haruhi, we're too far. What does that sign say?"

"Tch, what are you? Blind?" Kaoru grew a light shade of red and quickly diverted his eyes. Sighing, the girl began. "It says: Take caution. Anyone found loitering will be arrested and fined." She took a moment to think over the real meaning behind those words. "I take it they mean you'll be arrested and the fine will be death. No one has the amount of money they're asking for."

Now that they were directly next to the sign, Kaoru looked on at it in deep thought. "That is a lot. We barely have twenty dollars and they want twenty-thousand. They're making it so it would be impossible to deny switching sides."

"Right," Haruhi nodded. She noticed that Kaoru still stared, as if in a daze. "Is there something else on the sign I'm not seeing?"

Kaoru snapped back, his face once again taking on an awkward reddish hue. He scratched the back of his head, and made haste to move to the opening they'd discovered around the gate. "Ah, no. I was just re-reading it to make sure." Soon, he pointed. "Here, it looks like others like us tried to get across. I checked earlier this morning-"

"You mean before you woke me up at 4am?" Haruhi grumbled.

"Yes," Kaoru spun around to shoot his short friend a disgusted scowl. "Before I woke you up to prevent my brother from _dying_." He turned back to the softened ground and sunk down to a crouch, Haruhi followed. He began from where he was cut off, "The soil is softer, like someone dug it up and then refilled it. Maybe a group tried to cross and got caught."

Haruhi's eyes brightened, catching on to where he was going. "And then the Hanizuka's filled the hole probably hoping no one would notice."

"Right, but they didn't expect for someone to examine every detail of this thing for a way in."

"Just how long were you awake before me?" The girl's brow raised as she glanced over at the lone twin.

"About three hours," he shrugged. "Unlike Hikaru I know how to not get caught. He was probably making a bunch of noise, like usual." Kaoru pulled a bright, animal covered, cup from a brown satchel he wore.

It was quickly snatched away. "That's my favorite cup! Out of all the choices, why would you grab that one?"

"It was the closest. Tamaki's was too far away to grab. I didn't want to stretch just to get it."

"Lazy asshole."

"Since I'm not getting that one back, I guess I'll use my spare." Kaoru pulled out another cup, this one bland, without the cute animals, and much darker in color.

"He's going to murder you." Haruhi shivered. She could already see how Kyouya would react to his mug being used as a makeshift shovel. Both boys would come back alive, but Hikaru wouldn't be enjoying Kaoru's company for very long. The dark haired leader would probably tie Kaoru up to a pole in the street for the army to deal with him.

Kaoru wasn't moved. The cup was pushed to sink into the ground, already being put into use by the boy. "Unless you want to be here all day you should help me."

It took a long fifteen minutes before Haruhi groaned and, turning away with a wince, dug her once bright cup into the ground.

* * *

><p>"I know a song that gets on everybody's nerves, everybody's nerves, everybody's nerves. I know a song that-"<p>

"Shut the _fuck_ up."

Hikaru smiled, and sung louder. They'd untied him, but now he was pressing their buttons. Payback. "AND THIS IS HOW IT GOES!"

"I swear if you start up one more-"

The man that had tied him up was the one he loved toying with most. While everyone else seemed to block the noise, this guy somehow couldn't. He'd tried. At first he'd stroked his beard in an antsy sort of frustration, and then he'd moved to pacing close to Hikaru, as if threatening to jump him at any moment. Now, he'd picked him up by the collar, and yet still Hikaru continued.

"I know a song that gets on-" Hikaru was cut off when the man switched from intimidation to wrapping his hands around the boys neck and squeezing hard enough to make Hikaru gasp. His smaller hands clawed at the ones that cut off his airway. "I'll stop!" he choked out.

"You fucking better stop." The man dropped his hands and turned, only to be caught off guard when Hikaru jumped on his back. "What the hell?"

Now the entire cell turned to watch the spectacle. A woman called out, "It's so manly to be taken down by a pipsqueak!" All but the struggling prisoner burst into a roar of laughter. Another joined in, "Weren't you the one bragging about taking down five of the Haninozuka drones before you were caught?" "Pfft, they were probably women soldiers."

With a guttural cry, Hikaru was thrown from the grunt's back to fall hard onto the concrete floor. "I'll deal with you after these shitheads," the man pointed. Like a bull, he charged toward the now frightened, screaming group.

The twin ran to the cell bars. "Hey! Hey, someone help!" He kicked to make a metallic clang resound. "There's an uprising! Everyone's gone nuts!"

He didn't have to call out for very long before he heard the heavy footsteps he'd been waiting for. A squad of armor-clad men lined themselves around the cell, batons at the ready to quell the now savage prisoners. Hikaru trembled so hard he had to use the cell bars to keep himself upright, and he paled when a body came to be slammed into him after a strong push from an inmate.

"I'm scared," he squeaked.

Soon, he found himself being pushed aside as several soldiers poured into the occupied cell. Their efforts to calm the growing chaos were as good as useless, they were easily forced back by the wild group of prisoners. Hikaru had noticed a few hours back that none of the patrolling guards wore guns, only batons and something else he couldn't identify. It was most likely a viral bomb. If they were so low in rank to not have the authority to carry a firearm, then the army probably at least gave them something just as useful for protection.

The remaining guards standing just beside the bars holding him inside looked a bit tougher than those being beaten behind him. His eyes shifted to the open door that was barricaded by the bodies of the guards.

"Please, I think I'm going to puke." They glanced over at him, unamused. "I can't be in here with all of this. I'm really..." Hikaru paused and then doubled over to gag. He gave a dry heave and then wearily looked back up at the men. "Please, I can't. Can you at least move me to a new cell?"

This time he got a response, both guards made eye contact, and then one stepped forward. "Turn around," he ordered. Hikaru did so. "Arms behind your back." Metal notches clicked together as handcuffs were clasped around his wrists. "Move." Stumbling forward from a rather harsh stab from the man's baton, he shuffled out of his cell. Hkaru allowed himself to be lead through the halls with a firm grip on his shoulder to keep him on track.

"Thanks, I feel a lot better now." Hikaru smiled up at the single guard leading him, only to get a nasty scowl back.

"Keep your fucking mouth shut."

"Sorry. Will do," the boy replied brightly.

There were so many of the drones strolling about the prison like it was some sort of leisurely park. It definitely was, the bright light shined down on them, the temperature was delightfully freezing, and there were so many harmful items in their weapon playground. He truly felt at home. He frowned at his overly sarcastic thoughts. The reality of his situation made his vision swim, but escape was in sight.

_1...2...GO!_

Hikaru sent his foot flying backward to kick his captor in the shin and then, taking advantage of his pained shock, shot off into a sprint. His face became flushed with the rush and exertion of pumping his legs fast enough to both, dodge under arms that tried to reach for him, and weave around bodies that tried to knock him to the ground. His delirious laughter rose above the angered shouts of the authorities around him.

"Did you really think I was that much of a pussy?" Hikaru shouted behind him. "I'm so scared. I'm gonna puke," he giggled, quoting himself. He stopped to turn around and frantically feel for the door handle behind him. The exhilaration pushed his self-esteem to an all new high. He surprised himself when he began to taunt, despite his close proximity with the enemy. "You're a bunch of gullible _dumbasses_! Slow too, there are more of you than me and you still can't catch up."

All color drained from his face. Now his heart really _was_ racing and his stomach really _was_ churning. He swallowed hard, forcing his meal back down. He'd found the handle, but he had been too stupid to notice it needed a card to swipe open.

"You're kidding me..." Like dejavu, he found himself surrounded.

* * *

><p>"I've always wanted to see the inside of this place."<p>

Kaoru could only stare at her, his face formed into a puzzled frown. "This prison?"

"Yes, I've always heard rumors about it so..."

A stifled chuckle beside her broke her from her contemplative scan of the room they'd broken into. This, only happened after digging for what seemed like HOURS, and then ducking away from tanks and soldiers. All the while a certain twin complained at her for being too slow. Now her legs shook from exhaustion but Kaoru bounced on his toes with vigor. Clearly he'd been frozen in an adrenaline rush.

"Putting your weird fantasies aside," Kaoru laughed, "let's figure out how to do this. I think I have an idea already though."

"And that is?" Haruhi waved her hand, prompting him to go on. She preferred not being captured because her partner couldn't calm down long enough to get his thoughts out. "We don't have all day. We don't know where we are, and I'm pretty sure someone will need to come in here eventually."

Kaoru waved her off, but continued his train of thought. "Find surveillance room, look at screens, find Hikaru, go to where the camera showed, get him free, run the hell away." Haruhi blinked at the rush of words that he'd pushed onto her. Something about cameras and running the hell away... The twin smirked. "Come on, you'll understand soon."

"I want to understand now," she mumbled. As they neared the door, both inched their hands to unholster their guns. Haruhi was the one who opened the door, only a crack, so she could peek out. A groan left her lips. "We should have chosen a different room to break into..."

"This is the only one that has a lock I know how to pick."

"Hands-on is always the best method of learning."

Kaoru bit back another laugh. "Who would be my teacher?"

"Sir Morinozuka himself. He would vow to make sure you know every way to break into his fortress," Haruhi joked. Her eyes glanced into the hall and then back to Kaoru.

"Sir? So does that make me a knight in training under a King?"

Haruhi was quick to correct. "Jester."

"So mean!" Kaoru raised his gun and moved to the door's entrance, a broad smile on his face. He playfully stuck his tongue out at her. "I'll get you back for that one later. I'm a noble knight, you'll see."

Once the hall was clear they burst out, running on light feet to make the least amount of noise as they passed behind the backs of their enemy. Nearly every hall they snuck down looked alike, minus the change in numbers that labeled the section they were in. Kaoru stopped when he got a glimpse of the number five. Haruhi followed his gaze and tapped a finger to her chin. She stepped back to open a door labeled to be a Utility closet, and closed it once they were both squeezed inside.

"According to the floor map, surveillance is around here, but they've probably already seen us coming, and it looks like that room needs a key." Haruhi whispered.

Kaoru nodded. "Yeah, I heard some noise earlier which means the alarm will probably go off soon. That'll make things interesting..."

"It might make things easier." The girl opened the door a crack and peeked out. Their presence had been noticed. There hadn't been as many patrolling officers around as there were now, but they didn't look to be in any rush to find them. This is what concerned Haruhi the most. That would either work for their advantage, or disadvantage. Her gaze trailed over to the double doors that contained the offices within Section 5. One of the doors had been propped open by a metallic clasp on the top, but if the intruder alarm became active it would demagnetize and shut. The only way in would then be to find an employee ID for the card scanner. That would be impossible in such a hectic situation.

"This is why we attack in a group, not pairs," Haruhi grumbled. Tact could only get you so far. Sometimes just going in blazing with guns and bombs worked so much better. She may be slow, but she enjoyed having to analyze attacks and methods during the crucial moments of an uprising, be it far away and through a radio, or on the field.

Haruhi nearly stumbled out of the closet when Kaoru pressed against her back unexpectedly. He took a look, and then hummed in thought. "The fire alarm, it's right behind the double doors leading to the surveillance room. If we set that off before they can activate the other one we can get them into a panic. Plus, this place has fire walls to contain it to one area. As soon as that alarm sounds every one of those walls will swing shut." He pointed to their left where large double doors hung dormant on their hinges. "That will block us in. It can still be opened though. Fire can't pass through a closed fireproof door, but humans can push or pull it open to escape. We would have to barricade our side."

"Hopefully it could trick them into thinking the fire started on our side. They wouldn't want to come in then," The petite girl added, agreeing with Kaoru's logic. She frowned. "But there's still men on that side."

"No one will hear gun shots over the screech of a fire alarm."

Both teenagers sucked in a long breath, and then Haruhi crouched low to exit their hiding spot. She rolled quickly across to stop at the wall opposite Kaoru, just barely avoiding being seen. Luckily, on her side behind the left door she was hidden. Kaoru however still had the risk, the double door on his side was open. He waited until he saw her wave to him, before following her lead and gracefully rolling to hit his head on the wall next to her.

"Ow..."

Haruhi held back a chuckle. "Noble Knights don't run into walls."

"Funny. Maybe you would be better as the Jester," Kaoru deadpanned. He nodded his head in the direction of the open door. "You're smaller you pull down the lever."

"You're just mad I made fun of you. You want me to get caught," she grumbled. Still, she crept into the lair of soldiers to wrap her fingers around the handle.

"A commoner! I told you they disappeared off the screens around here!"

Haruhi let the hand on the lever slam down.

* * *

><p><em>BAH! I hate writing analysis's and action scenes. YOU HAVE NO IDEA! I have the next chapter done minus the action scene after this. I just...what...how...! Why did I decide to do an action fic? Well, whatever. I hope you liked this despite my crappy descriptions of tactics and fights.<em>

_The next chapter is more emotional (YESSSS! I'm good at that stuff! No practice needed!) and it's Kaoru centered. Everyone will get their own few chapters to shine. Aka. their back stories will be revealed that way. Not completely mind you, just snippets of info._

_As always, drop me a line via. PM or review! I like responding to everything I get sent! I'm really sick right now so if I disappear for a bit updating-wise SORRY! PD wins in votes so I'll work on that next...after I finish the next chapter to this. I need to keep going while I'm on a roll.  
><em>

_Until next time~ Ja Mata~_


	4. Chapter 4

**Don't own Ouran but I own this fic. (Sorry, no witty quote.)  
><strong>

* * *

><p>Fuck. This was the worst plan they could ever have gone through with. Being stuck behind a clerical desk, shot at from guns that outranked their own, and being outnumbered was not good. In fact, there was probably a high chance they would die, which would be perfect. Just perfect. What's the point of coming to save someone if you all die?<p>

"Kaoru!" Haruhi screamed from her position behind the desk. All the while her hand rummaged through the messy desk drawers, but it was difficult to get a good look.

Every time she lift her head a bullet would zip past to nearly take off her ear, and having to duck to safety so often was limiting her chance of seeing much of anything. Plus, she could barely hear anything over the pops and bangs of guns being fired off, along with the occasional scream or crash of glass hitting the marble floor. It was always obvious when Kaoru hit one of their enemies though, his voice would come closer to her as he cleared a path. That progress had slowed to a turtle's speed. His voice emanated from the same distance away, and even seemed to be moving further back.

"Kaoru!" she called. Her gun was raised into a ready position, and she sidestepped in her crouch behind her desk 'shield.' Once she got to the edge she pivot to face the armored men. Hard, trained eyes marked her target and shot to kill. In the head, no possibility to survive, especially with such a weak helmet. It had cracked so easily from the shot, unlike when they'd tried their legs, arms, or torso. Even their backs were heavily wrapped to be bulletproof. How Kaoru was managing mystified her.

Haruhi's jolted. A confident smile graced her face. Helmets. "Kaoru, shoot the head only! That's the only equipment they failed to re-enforce!"

Still no response.

But then the multiple thuds of bodies crumpling to the ground filled the room. A joyful whoop had her smile growing into a stupid grin. "Good call, Haruhi!" Another thud resound along with a cry of pain. "It's clear enough. Go for the key!"

The brunette popped up. Now that she could get a good look without the chance of death her search finished in mere seconds. Haruhi held up the key for Kaoru to see. He nodded with a small thumbs up, and after killing the last soldier, sped over to her.

Haruhi pointed to a door behind them. "The security cameras are in that one. I remember the guard that ratted my position out was standing in this doorway." She slid the key through the card reader and pulled the door open. Just as she predicted televisions with live footage of the entire prison lined the walls. She split off to go to the right wall while Kaoru took the left to scan each screen. Haruhi squint, but failed to see any prisoner that resembled the one they were searching for.

"He's in this section, down the hall in Heavy Surveillance." When Haruhi looked over she saw Kaoru had turned from the TV's to face her, but he gazed at the floor in a far off daze. Kaoru scratched his head, and then blinked. "That's why they were wondering how I'd escaped...again. Hikaru must have done something to get him into more trouble," he shook his head. A soft smile graced his face, and he stared at the image of his imprisoned brother fondly. "See, I knew you still had it in you Hikaru." Kaoru straightened with a new resolve. "Okay, let's get going Haruhi!"

They marched off with confidence. The halls were empty, and would have been quiet as well if it weren't for the alarm that still warned of a 'fire.' It took only a simple walk down to the end of a hallway for them to reach Hikaru's cell. Haruhi whipped her key out and opened the door to reveal a control panel positioned in front of a glass wall. Behind the glass Hikaru paced, biting his nails and kicking at nothing as he moved from wall to wall.

"They gave him a new shirt," Kaoru noted.

Haruhi rolled her eyes. They come to save his brother and that's the first thing he notices? But it seemed as though excitement replaced Kaoru's apparel fascination. He'd all but skipped over to the glass to knock rapidly. "Hikaru!" Kaoru laughed gleefully. "Are you training for some kind of triathlon? Stop exercising and get over here!"

In an instant Hikaru's hands slammed against the window, and his face came close enough to nearly press against the glass. "Kaoru! You're here! It doesn't matter how, you can tell me later," he gushed. "I saw what they did to lock the door, if we switch the lever in the opposite direction it should unlock it."

Kaoru and Haruhi both nodded and moved closer to the blinking lights on the mechanical board. "Put the key in that slot, and then press down that blue button," Hikaru pointed eagerly. He bounced, a wide smile on his face. "Then all you have to do is push down the second lever."

Both teenagers looked down, searching for the listed items Hikaru had given them. Haruhi made a noise of accomplishment, and then forced her stolen key into it's proper location. Kaoru however was still having trouble finding the blue button. His eyes scanned over the board, squinting in concentration.

"I don't see it." He leaned down further. Sighing, he met the irritated eyes of his twin. "Are you sure that's what we're looking for?"

"Kaoru, I know you're retarded, but you're not color blind too!"

Kaoru froze and slowly, after recovering from his initial shock, straightened into a stiff wide-eyed stance. His eyes filled up with water, but they never overflowed. Instead, they narrowed into a hardened gaze that locked onto his brother with the intent to pierce through him. "Hikaru, you know I hate that word."

"What? You get to hurt me but I can't hurt you back?" Hikaru pressed his palms to the glass that separated them. His voice deepened to a harsh growl. "That's a little unfair. If you pull a low blow then so will I."

The younger of the two boys stood still, and then went back to his search. It took him less than a minute to find the button this time. Kaoru's hand came crashing down on it, and then he drove the switch to slam into reverse. The door opened with a soft click.

"Kaoru..." Haruhi hesitated in following him out of the room and to the hall. His whole demeanor had changed to become uninviting, and the sudden silence made her shiver with unease. It worsened when Hikaru finally caught up with them. Kaoru's shoulders rose as his muscles grew taut. "Kaoru, are you okay?"

"No, I'm not," he ground out, but she noticed a slight shake in his voice, one that Hikaru seemed to catch on to. The older brother frowned briefly and then switched back to his tall, confident strut.

"You're going to cry now?" Hikaru taunted. "Geez, and you joke about me pissing myself, you're a fucking crybaby." Kaoru took in a sharp intake of breath.

"Hikaru, stop."

"Don't defend him, Haruhi. He's been giving me shit all week. It's time for me to have my own fun."

Except he looked far from amused, there was no sign of a smile on his face. His body mirrored Kaoru's in rigidity but unlike Kaoru, Hikaru fidgeted with every stray hair or strand on his clothing while he walked. He'd already pulled at his pants three times, in the same spot despite there being nothing significant on them to tug at.

"Kaoru, I think we came in from this way." Haruhi pointed, and his eyes sluggishly followed her finger. This couldn't be the Kaoru she'd come to know in the past few months. Could he have really forgotten everything they'd done to get inside that fast? The gun fight may have tired him out, but he'd never become this spacey.

"Oh, yeah you're right." She expected Hikaru to comment at his brother's sudden forgetfulness, but his mouth seemed to have been sewn shut. "I remember now. Sorry, Haruhi. I'll help you a little bit more from now on." He drummed on the top of her head lightly with a smile and passed by to return to his position as leader. "It's always good to have someone with a photographic memory on the team. Thanks."

For the rest of their walk Kaoru and Hikaru remained tense and silent. Kaoru's lip trembled. Occasionally, he would clench his watery eyes shut and suck in a deep breath. Hikaru's face had no emotion. His lips were set in a straight line, and he concentrated only on what was ahead of him. It was as if they were trying to pretend the other never existed.

The moment they got to the door they'd come in from, Kaoru worked on unlocking it. Apparently the use of a card reader for this particular door was forgotten. Although they passed by a few more like the one blocking them.

The tools fumbled around in Kaoru's clumsy hands. He couldn't even control himself enough to position them properly. They danced around the keyhole, stabbing at air until they clattered to the floor. He stood and dropped his arms to his side. In a monotone voice he apologized. "Sorry, I guess I'm too stupid to do this."

"You're being ridiculous. It's not like you haven't taken an insult before, Kaoru. This is a bit excessive." Haruhi's words were ignored.

"It's okay if you agree, Hikaru." Kaoru smiled at him, but it was bittersweet. "We're not in middle school anymore, you don't have to pretend. Besides, it's not like mom and dad are here to stop you, so you don't have to worry about getting in trouble."

Hikaru's only response was to lower to retrieve the fallen items, and then slowly lift himself to work on the lock. His concentration never left the lock or the tools in his hand, he didn't even attempt to acknowledge his twin.

"What is this really about?" Haruhi lay a hand on Kaoru's back. Finally, she was beginning to catch on. The tense atmosphere, the references...Hikaru must have hit a nerve. She bent her head down and let her eyes glaze over in thought. Retarded, Hikaru had said that hadn't he? It had to be one of her least favorite words on a list amongst others equally as disgusting and degrading. It's true meaning of slowing down no longer seemed to be considered valid, instead it meant someone who was stupid or mentally challenged. Both boys however looked and acted very healthy. Then why...?

"Tell me what you really think, Hikaru." Kaoru's breathing grew ragged. He tried to take deep steadying breaths, but it failed to calm him. One by one tears began to slide down his cheeks. He tried the breathing technique again, only to exhale a near silent sob instead. Beside him, Hikaru popped open the lock and pushed open the door to lead them inside a storage room. "I guess you're mute now. We're a perfect defective pair. They used to call mute's dumb too didn't they?"

There. Those words caused Haruhi to backtrack through her thoughts. Looks meant nothing, and she'd come to find that her new friends were close to professionals when it came to acting. After believing their lies about not hiding or going through her belongings one too many times, she'd come to know their acting skills very well. "Hikaru, what is he talking about? Is something wrong?"

"You've already been kind enough to announce part of it, Hikaru. Why don't you give her the other half too!" Kaoru spat.

"It's none of her business," he whispered. His hand came to rest on Kaoru's arm, only for a moment. Kaoru grabbed a hold of both of his brother's shoulders and shoved him to stumble back into a shelf.

"Oh, now you decide to keep your mouth shut," Kaoru growled.

The angered boy stormed over to a corner of crates and other sturdy looking odds and ends to kick them, rather than calmly sliding them, over to hit the wall beneath their escape window. Hikaru moved over to help stack the boxes into a sort of stair type formation, only to be forced backwards once more. This time Hikaru stumbled to fall over a box. Gravity wasn't kind to the eldest twin. He landed onto his back hard, and hit his head on a shelf on the way down.

"Fuck! Kaoru, what the hell?" Hikaru twist in pain on the floor. His eyes were sewn shut, and his hands cradled the back of his head tenderly as if he could nurse the pain away. "That fucking hurt!"

"Sorry, did you hit your head?" Kaoru sneered over at him. "Good, maybe something got knocked around in there. Let's hope it awakens Dad's genes and fucks up your brain. It would suck not being able to be good at math anymore wouldn't it? Isn't that your favorite subject?"

"Now _you're_ going too far, Kaoru," Haruhi piped.

"I'm going up, follow behind me, Haruhi." That was the only answer she was given. After that he disappeared up the stacked boxes and out of the window. Heaving out a long sigh, she helped Hikaru up and followed after Kaoru just as told. Both she and Hikaru landed to fall onto the muddied ground, and then had to run after Kaoru's now fading back. He'd already gotten halfway to the wall they'd crawled along when they first arrived.

Hikaru was quick to leave Haruhi behind as well so he could run up to his twin. "I'm sorry, I went too far." Kaoru's steps only quickened. Haruhi had to jog to keep up with the new pace her two friends were setting. "Kaoru, please don't run away from me. I really am sorry. I shouldn't have said it. It was just the first thing that came to mind."

"So that makes it okay?" Kaoru asked. When he turned to Hikaru he looked miserable, just as bad as when he'd first heard Hikaru had been captured. Kaoru had cried back then too, but now felt so much different from the sorrow he'd displayed. He growled lowly, "You know I could have said so much worse, Hikaru. This _retard_ at least knows not to go after someone's weakest point." He balled his fingers into tight fists. "And I was only pulling those jabs to make you fight for yourself! I didn't want you to get killed. I won't be able to save you every time you get in trouble!"

All the tension in his body dissipated, and Kaoru stood in a limp stance. His shoulders drooped, and his arms were like dead weight at his sides. "I don't think I even care anymore, Hikaru..."

Hikaru's face had taken on a white pallor during Kaoru's confession. When he could only gawk at his twin rather than give a proper response, Kaoru shook his head. "I'm sorry what I did upset you. I should have used a different method, I know that now." The youngest twin closed his eyes shut tightly as if in pain. "Please stay away from me, Hikaru. I don't want to talk to you, I don't want to see you, I don't want you to leave again, but I don't want you anywhere near me either."

This time Hikaru's eyes filled with water. "You're kidding," he choked.

Kaoru lifted his head to stare past his twin and at the brunette behind him. "Let's go, Haruhi." She stood her ground. "Haruhi, please I'm still not okay. I just want to go home," he pleaded. His voice trembled with his pent up emotions.

Haruhi sighed and let her head droop. Silently, she shuffled over, dragging Hikaru by the hand on her way past so he could uproot from the soil beneath him.

* * *

><p>When they finally arrived in their safe haven, Kaoru rushed past Tamaki and Kyouya to slam the door of their shared bedroom shut. Next, came heavy shuffling and dropping of items, followed by the loud screech of metal being dragged across the floor. It came to bump against the door, causing it to shutter in its frame.<p>

"If he moved my bed he'd better put it exactly where it was when he's done," Kyouya mumbled offhandedly. He licked his finger, and then turned the page to his novel, not even bothering to glance up. Not like he needed to, Kaoru's loud actions screamed that something wasn't right.

"People are typically offended by that word, Hikaru. I'm not surprised that he's upset." She followed behind the boy to stand outside the barricaded bedroom. Inside she could hear muffled noises, but she couldn't quite make out what they were. Both jumped back when the door shuttered violently from the force of something heavy colliding with it. "But I've never known anyone to get this upset." Her eyes caught the door handle. "That lock has never worked, maybe you can try to force the bed back when you push the door open."

Hikaru immediately jumped into action. He turned the handle and leaned his entire body weight against it to do as he was told. The bed blocking his way inside budged slightly, allowing them to get just enough time to glimpse in and watch Kaoru speed across the room. He slid back, losing the battle, when another bed scratched at the floor to be added as additional support. Now the door barely opened enough for them to peek inside.

Screaming, Hikaru pound both fists against the wooden door. "Kaoru, let me in! I'm sorry! Just let me in so I can talk to you! Please don't shut me out. I don't think I can handle that!"

A strangled, watery voice answered back. "Leave me alone! I told you I don't want to talk to you!"

"What did you say to him, Hikaru?" Tamaki asked, rushing over. He skid to stop, but not before nearly tackling Haruhi from his lack of depth perception and ability to control himself.

"I called him stupid," Hikaru ground out through clenched teeth.

"That's NOT what you said, Hikaru!" Kaoru's muffled voice rang out through the door. Another object was thrown, this time to rattle the wall nearest to them. "If you had just called me stupid I wouldn't be this-" The youngest twin's voice cracked, and a flurry of objects rained against the wall opposite them. Neither door nor wall got a break from the earthquake-like scenario Kaoru was forcing them to withstand.

At the top of his lungs, Kaoru roared, "Go away and leave the retard to rot alone!"

With a sigh, Kyouya pushed past the stunned group to knock twice on the barricaded door. "Kaoru, you're being over-dramatic. Let me in."

The creaking of a bed could be heard and then Kaoru's voice float out to them much clearer than before. "Kyouya?"

"Yes." He leaned casually against the door, and flipped through the pages of his book before snapping it shut. "Stop acting like a child. Open it."

Kaoru's timid voice came once again. "You know where the other passage is. Come through there."

Kyouya smirked at his rejected friends and sauntered away, leaving Hikaru to shout in confusion. "What other passage!"

* * *

><p><em>The ending of this was fun to write. Kaoru and Hikaru have hit their peak. All of this tension is fun~ Plus I really like playing with the idea of giving Kaoru a disorder that he was born with. I dare you, guess what it is. I'm curious.<em>

_Also, I don't agree with the word 'retard' used as a derogatory term, and please don't be offended by it's use in this chapter and probably the next as well.  
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_As always, drop me a line via PM or review~ It's always fun to talk to you guys!  
><em>


	5. Chapter 5

**THERE'S A SNAKE IN MAH BOOT!**

**I ALSO DO NOT OWN OHSHC BUT I DO OWN DIS FICK. DAT FICK DOWN DUR. **

**On a side note: Anyone who finds a mistake in any of my posted chapter fics gets a prize. (You suggest your loot and I decide if I can/want to grant it.) Hell, if anyone wants to be my beta I'd consider it. I miss the weirdest things.  
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><p>"You've calmed down," Kyouya noted. His voice was strained slightly from the effort of dragging the rest of his body out of a small crawl space behind him. It was wide enough to fit his slim form through, but it was clear by his stiff movements to pull himself into a stance that it was far from comfortable. Kyouya stretched his arms high into the air and leaned back to correct the position of his spine. "Good. That means we can end this nonsense and open the door."<p>

He got no response. His young friend had taken to being mute and blind from curling up on his cot and shoving his head between two pillows. He couldn't tell if it was a form of drowning out Hikaru's boisterous voice or depression-induced hiding. From Kyouya's position at the far wall he could only assume that the twin had somehow fallen asleep. Every inhalation and exhalation seemed to come out smooth and relaxed, but as Kyouya grew near small shuddering gasps could be heard. It was when he came to stand directly over Kaoru's cot that he was finally noticed.

Kaoru grew tense, and for a moment he curled in on himself further until deciding on unraveling so he could sit up. His red-eyed gaze never met his friend's, instead he focused on a new tear in Kyouya's sleeve. "When did that happen?"

"Hmm?" Kyouya frowned and followed Kaoru's pointed finger. "It would seem you now owe me a new mug and a shirt."

"I'm already in enough debt with you. Add it to Hikaru's page, or Haruhi's, she helped me dig," Kaoru mumbled. His voice was softer than usual and slowed as if it'd been drained of its energy. The slackened state of Kaoru's body mirrored his less than energetic mood.

Kyouya paused to think. "Fine, at least then I would know that everything will be paid back in a timely manner, but with you two-"

The twin flopped back onto his cot with a slight bounce before being able to settle back comfortably. He stared up at their peeling, hole-covered ceiling, but the glazed film taking over his vision blocked the image. It became a blur and Kyouya's presence nullified, he didn't even have the courtesy, or willpower, to finish their conversation. This didn't sit well with his companion.

"By definition you are retarded." Kaoru's entire form wound up tightly, and his fingers dug deep into his bed sheets. "However, I wouldn't go as far as to call you an idiot or incompetent."

"Maybe I shouldn't have asked you to come inside," Kaoru spoke with a slight growl in his voice.

Kyouya removed his glasses to survey, and then scrub a finger against a smudge of dirt. "I'm only stating facts, Kaoru. Your disability slows your development, specifically language."

Now Kaoru's spark was back. He sat upright, and then even jumped up to a stance. "I'm functional."

"You rely on your brother."

"I would be fine on my own!"

"Until you run into something new." Kaoru's lips zipped shut. "You have the reading level of a second or third grader, and since you're no longer forced to read for school you're probably deteriorating. The only reason you're able to function on your own is because you're skillful at deduction."

Kyouya paused to glance at his silent friend and then put on his glasses. He questioned whether or not he should continue. Kaoru looked to be near tears from the blunt facts being forced onto him. It was lucky he only had to deal with the younger twin, if it were Hikaru standing in Kaoru's place he'd probably have gotten a few punches thrown at him by now. But, this twin stood unmoving, taking to his thoughts first before finally reacting.

"You're right," Kaoru sighed after recollecting himself. "There's no way I can argue with that. I want to, but I don't even know where to start." He ruffled his hair roughly and shuffled away to replace the lid on their secret tunnel.

"You shouldn't hate your disability." Kyouya's voice resound though out the silent room, but his words resound even more in Kaoru's mind. Questioning hazel eyes met Kyouya's stern dark-eyed gaze. "Your deductive and analytical skills were the reason I invited you to our team. I wouldn't have allowed you to share our supplies otherwise. Without the dyslexia those skills would probably be weaker."

It seemed as if words had failed the young twin. He stood bolted to the floor, head slightly cocked and a gentle smile gracing his face. No longer were his eyes glazed over with self-loathing or anger, they sparkled with a renewed cheerful light. "Kyouya...thank you. You're the first person that's..." Kaoru took in a shaky breath and then let out a short theatrical groan. "Stop crying!"

A shrill screech of metal scraping across concrete tore through the room as Kyouya kicked one of their cots toward its original position. He allowed the silence long enough to let his thoughts be voiced. "You're the youngest child. Society expects you to act like a spoiled infant occasionally. Although, It's not an acceptable excuse. However, it's something that becomes ingrained in our minds, even after childhood. It can't be helped."

"But Hikaru and I are the same age." After shaking his head, he helped Kyouya shove everything back into position one by one. It was when they repositioned the last item that Kaoru's thoughts jumped backward and to their last words. "Aren't you the youngest child in your family?"

Kyouya paused by the now unblocked door, hand on the knob and ready to return to his novel. "Yes," he answered, and then he made his exit.

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><p><em>"Your S is backwards," Hikaru giggled, leaning over his brother. Kaoru quickly erased it and rewrote it correctly. "K-Kaoru!" Hikaru exploded with mocking glee. "Are you reading your sentences?" He pointed to one, biting his lip to hold back laughter. "Teh Folktail off Momotarow waz ritten around the Ado peiord."<em>

_"Don't make fun of me." The younger twin gave his older half a stern, unamused, glare and slammed his pencil down. "I'm trying to do my homework and your jokes aren't helping."_

_Hikaru forced his hand over his mouth to quiet his giggles. "I'm sorry. I know but..."_

_"Shut up, Hikaru!" Kaoru screamed._

_Instead of continuing with his work he abruptly stood and balled the paper up aggressively. The pure force of which Kaoru was using to crush the innocent paper was what made Hikaru finally calm. He stood to wrap his arms around his brother from behind when Kaoru had decided he hadn't punished the offending paper enough, and had gone to ripping it._

_"I'm sorry. I mean it this time," he whispered into Kaoru's ear. "Let's use my worksheet and I'll help you this time." Kaoru didn't respond, instead his body began to shake. "Kao...please don't..."_

_"I'm sorry," Kaoru squeaked. He hid his face in his hands after dropping the scraps to the ground. "I know you hate when I cry, but there's only so much I can take. I can't handle you treating me like I'm stupid too. The teachers already do that everyday."_

_Hikaru pressed closer to his brother. "I know," he said softly. "You're getting better though."_

_"No I'm not," Kaoru sobbed._

_"You are!" Hikaru insisted. He pulled free and moved around to grab a notepad. "Write...um...'I should go to the store.'"_

_Kaoru blinked and turned to Hikaru with caution. "That's elementary school material. We're in middle school."_

_Hikaru shoved the pen and notepad at his twin roughly. "Just write it."_

_Kaoru rolled his eyes and sat down to write. He was slow, and his handwriting sloppy. All the while, he voiced every word out loud. 'I shuld go too thuh store.' The younger twin winced and, without looking at Hikaru, shoved the paper over to him._

_There was a long pause. "Good try."_

_"I told you. I'm not getting better. I give up."_

_"Kaoru! You got some of it right!"_

_"I give up," he repeated flatly._

_"Ka-" Kaoru stood and marched out of the room._

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><p><strong>For those that don't understand the italics it means it was a memory. <strong>**Guh...I've been dangerously sick lately so it's been so hard to do much of anything. I did want to show that I am alive and haven't disappeared again though so I wrote this. It's short...and I'll need to edit it later for mistakes for sure, but it's here. **

**The new chapter for PD also has it's twisty ending written. I just need to write the beginning of it. NAFtD has also been halfway done. As always whenever I come back from a break you should expect a flurry of updates. I don't know why I function like that.**

**Sorry for the crappiness of this chapter. Feel free to flame and complain, or rant about my inability to characterize Kyouya.**

**Don't be afraid to PM or Review~ I look forward to them and it would make a sickly writer very happy.  
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	6. Chapter 6

**Disclaimer desu**

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><p>"You're training? I've never seen you out here before, Hikaru...or are you Kaoru?"<p>

Even with the voice calling to him from behind, Hikaru kept his gaze trained on the gun in his hands. They trembled and could barely keep the weapon upright to aim at his target, a shoe he'd found in the garbage that he'd placed on top of a barrel. He could hear the intruder's footsteps drawing nearer, and yet the sound seemed dulled behind the rushing of his blood in his ears. His vision swam, causing him to falter a few steps backward.

"Hikaru," the voice clarified with a tinge of fear. Firm hands now held onto the young shaken teen, helping him stand. Said fearful voice quickly transformed to one of pure joy. "You're going to join us in the fight! That's exciting news my friend!"

Hikaru blinked and then stared over his shoulder at the blonde male smiling down at him. "What?"

"You're training," Tamaki pointed out, gesturing towards Hikaru's gun that now lay covered in dirt dredged up from its apparent fall. He hadn't even realized he'd let the device slip, nor did he remember why he was standing outside on their training ground.

"What...?" Hikaru repeated, blinking again.

"Are you all right?" Tamaki asked cautiously. His blonde eyes bore into Hikaru's. It was odd how fast this person could jump back and forth between a bumbling idiot to someone who seemed almost fatherly. "Hikaru? Are you going to be okay? You look sick. Should I go find Kaoru?"

"Kaoru..." Hikaru echoed with sadness. His eyes hardened and he bent down rigidly to pick up his gun. "No, forget it. I'm fine."

The next time he blinked he was being led back into their hideout with a gasp coming from somewhere beside him. "Hikaru..." Kaoru swatted Tamaki's hands away from his shell-shocked twin.

He blinked again, and he was back to the day all of this started.

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><p><em>"They're dead," a young Kaoru sobbed. Beside him an equally young Hikaru sat on the edge of a sidewalk, mute. He stared straight ahead, but Kaoru knew he wasn't taking in the city scenery. "And we don't have anywhere to go," he whined. Again with no response from his older brother. "Hikaru, please say something!" The younger brother knelt down, and shook his twin hard enough to make Hikaru look like a bobble-head toy.<em>

_Both of them reeked of smoke, but another smell lingered on Hikaru's clothes as well; gasoline. The charred holes in their clothes and their ash-coated faces made for a horrific sight. It was no wonder they were getting odd stares from passersby._

_"Hikaru, please." No matter how he pleaded, Hikaru made no effort to move or acknowledge the world around him. Kaoru sucked in a shaky breath, and hugged the still form close. "I don't understand...I need you to explain. Please say something..."_

_When no signs of change in his brother came Kaoru stood, and with a small grunt he pulled Hikaru to his feet as well. The older boy wobbled slightly, and then steadied himself. Kaoru smiled at him softly. Standing, a sign of life._

_"We have to find somewhere to go, okay?" Hazel eyes glanced around. Everywhere they could possibly go would be a danger zone. He would have to decide their destination carefully if he didn't want to end up dead like their newly deceased parents. Kaoru turned to the direction of the recently built wall that separated supporters of the Haninozuka family from the 'traitors'._

_Would it be so bad if they just gave in? At least they would be safe then._

_Slowly, he began to wander further away from the part of town that he and his brother had grown up in, all the while pulling Hikaru along behind him. His search for a safe haven grew more difficult the moment they stepped into a completely new area. The techniques he usually used to get around suddenly became useless. It was the downfall of memorizing signs and creating symbolism. He knew he would run into this one day._

_Kaoru hummed nervously to himself. One wrong decision and they would be..._

_He hummed louder. Every building looked the same, and the wording on the signs were styled so differently he could barely make out which letters were what. Kaoru tightened his grip on Hikaru's hand._

_Time to make a guess._

_He pulled them into the first run down building he saw._

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><p>"Hikaru?" A voice called. "Hikaru, you need to snap out of it. You shouldn't have been pushing yourself so hard in the first place." There was a long sigh. "You're so reckless. Is this because of our fight? If you were trying to get my attention it worked."<p>

Hikaru rubbed his eyes, and slowly began to take in his surroundings. He barely registered the relieved laugh from beside him. Instead, he noted that he sat in their hideout at the edge of his cot and that Kaoru knelt in front of him. The warm hands curling around his own caused his chest to swell with a torrent of emotions, until they burst forward in the form of tears flowing freely down his face.

Kaoru smiled softly. "You scared me. I thought I'd lost you again."

"Sorry."

The younger twin only shook his head, dismissing the issue. "I know." The slow careful enunciation of those two words held so much more than what was on the surface. He was forgiven. Now that heavy guilt could be lifted from his shoulders. "It's still not okay, but we can't let this hold us back." Hikaru nodded, agreeing.

"Hikaru, Kaoru." Two heads snapped around to stare toward the doorway. Haruhi stood upright as if her back had lost its flexibility. "The Haninozuka's posted the new rules."

Both boys were on their feet and dashing out of the room in an instant. They hurriedly gathered around the rest of the team in the living room. Together they stared down at the list that laid on the table.

"They poisoned the water," Kyouya said with a snarl. He looked ready to tear the notice to pieces. "If we drink it we'll be infected with the virus, and by now they've probably improved it to kill faster."

"You're kidding..." Kaoru gasped.

Haruhi shook her head. "No, it looks like we only have the choice of bottled water. Even so, that will only come from them."

"They're forcing us to have to rely on them as if they're Saints coming to our rescue." Kyouya's eyes narrowed after his gaze caught a signature at the bottom of the updated list of rules and conditions. "This was my father's idea."

He wasn't the only one to have noticed, Tamaki had as well. He'd been silent from the moment he walked in from scavenging and announced his find. Now, that silence was broken. "You're not connected with him anymore."

Kyouya turned an icy glare onto Tamaki. "While that may be true, it doesn't soil my name any less." He spun away to walk briskly from the group. "We need to speed up the plan. We don't have time for anymore games."

"That'll increase our risk of getting infected," Haruhi piped up. She stood strong behind her words, even while Kyouya's dark gaze attempted to smite her where she stood.

"But if we don't we'll die," Kaoru added. The glare turned onto him now, but it was less frightful. He tapped his chin and closed his eyes. For a moment, he found himself pulling away to sift through his own thoughts.

When they first became a team they'd created a preliminary plan: overthrow the empire and put themselves, most likely Kyouya, in charge until someone more suitable came along. It seemed perfect, but there was something that didn't feel right about it. Their plan was too vague, they would get nowhere without a detailed layout. But, the empire had been so sporadic and unpredictable lately. So much that it made every idea they could create fall through.

"We need more support from our friends around us." Tamaki seemed all too excited about his proposal.

"What friends?" Hikaru asked drily.

Kaoru answered with the same disinterest. "Probably his imaginary one's."

"Well, I have seen him talking to himself before."

Tamaki flushed and waved his arms around in a frantic frenzy. "The Commoners!"

"They aren't friends," the twins spoke together.

This didn't sway Tamaki from his stance in one bit. In fact, he stood taller and with a confidence that radiated from his form. "The people in this town have the same goal. This makes them our friends. We only have to show them they can trust us."

"And risk becoming diseased," Kyouya spat. "We've gone that route before, it got us nowhere."

"Why should our friends trust us if we can't trust them?"

No one had a response to Tamaki's bold statement.

"I want to get to know them. They all have stories just like we do. We should hear them out and help them. The Commoners will live with more ease knowing they have friends watching out for them in the shadows."

Haruhi nodded slowly. "It might work. We've been avoiding contact until now. They can't support us if they don't know us."

"Objections?" Tamaki asked. His eyes scanned the room and he smiled brightly when only Kyouya seemed disgruntled. The team had an uneasy aura about them, but none raised an argument.

"Then we have an agreement." The blonde bounced in joy. "We'll start tomorrow!"

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><p><strong><em>PD(Perfect Disaster)'s chapter is almost done~ NAFtD is giving me heartaches. Hey, idea. Send me some random song lyrics in a PM. It would help that fic's chapter come out faster. IN A PM NOT A REVIEW. I'd prefer if they were Japanese lyrics translated to English. Just a few simple phrases. No paragraphs needed.<br>_**

**_Alright, let me know what you thought of this. There was a lot of information given so plenty to discuss or question.  
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_**As always, drop me a line. Review, PM, whichever is all good!**  
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